DEAFiant 2: Brother's Keeper
by sunflowers
Summary: Sequel to DEAFiant It's summer and all is well, but who's Tai's new friend? What's he got to do with T.K.?
1. Chapter 1

Sunflowers: Hey, hey, hey! DEAFiant is BACK!

Matt: (devoid of all enthusiasm) woohoo.

T.K.: (cute as ever) Matt, don't rain on her parade. She's exited about this.

Matt: Why should I be? I'M NOT IN IT!

Sunflowers: Come on Matt, you'll like this one. Disclaimer T.K.!

T.K.: Sunflowers does NOT own Digimon. If she did, Kari and I would have gotten married and kissed at the end of episode 13. She'd also have used the money earned to replace the TV she broke after seeing that episode. Something about a shoe and a girl screaming "KISS HER YOU FOOL!" (Raises eyebrows at the author)

Sunflowers: (pointedly looks away) In case any of you have forgotten;

"yadayada" is talking

"_yadayada_" is sign language

_Yadayada_ is writing but you won't really see that much of it this time

ANYways, read on!

**FICTIME!FICTIME!**** FICTIME!FICTIME! FICTIME!FICTIME! FICTIME!FICTIME! FICTIME!FICTIME!**

Chapter 1: 

Princess Akesato clutched onto the arm of her love, the great warrior Yuma. Tears were flowing down her lovely face.

"My brave samurai, please throw not your life away so freely. For if your body should decay, suffer the same fate, my heart shall."

Her brown haired champion took both her hands in his and said; "If my life were mine to give, sweet princess, I would think not twice of heeding your words. But, as one of your lord and father's army, every breath is forfeit to his will. I am bond by blood and honor, dear hime(1), the choice is not mine to make. But always remember that, with every beat this most unworthy heart makes flows more and more love for the most beautiful maiden the sun had ever shone on. I loved you yesterday, I love you more today, I shall love you even more tomorrow and for every tomorrow till the very sea goes dry."

And with that, he kissed her for the last time.

………………………………………Kari's Point Of View ………………………………………………

I wish that Davis wouldn't eat sardine sandwiches. Or that he would at least buy a chapstick.

It was very hard to concentrate on my role when Davis was slobbering on my lips. But, being an actress, I held my breath and pretended it was someone less gruesome. Freddy Krueger maybe?

The spotlight finally dimmed and I rushed off stage so the scenery could be changed. I saw T.K. come backstage, struggling to lift a large back-round by himself.

I hurried towards him, trying not to trip over them hem of Princess Akesato's kimono. I grabbed one side of the back-round T.K. was carrying and lifted. No wonder he was struggling, it was _heavy_. He smiled at me, relieved, and led the way to where the other props here placed.

I adjusted my hold on the heavy decoration and looked at it properly, smiling. It was a beautiful piece with snow-capped mountains and frost covered fir trees. It was the same back-round I had seen T.K. paint the first day I moved here, in November. A whole string of events followed, ended by the best Christmas of my life. It was now June and the last night of our performance '_The Winds of Change'_ (1). After this; summer!

T.K. and I finally set down our burden. T.K. brushed his honey-blond hair out of his eyes and tucked it behind his ears, unknowingly making his hearing aids visible.

T.K. was born deaf. His hearing aids only enhance enough sound for him to have 10 of normal hearing. In other words, he can only hear REALLY loud noises. I don't mind though. Deaf or not, T.K.'s the sweetest, funniest, most talented person I've ever met, besides being a real hottie. We've been together for over six months and I'm only getting happier.

I was snapped out of my reverie by the said boy tapping my shoulder.

"_Shouldn't you be getting ready? The last scene will start soon."_ He signed. I nodded at him.

"_Yeah, I'd better go."_ I headed over to the make-up department. Partly because I needed a touch up, partly because Davis was coming backstage. I really didn't want to deal with him.

Mimi, who is mine and T.K.'s friend, pulled out her mascara wand and started working on my lashes. Stage make-up has to be caked on and exaggerated, or else no one in the audience could see its effect. Mimi hurried and finished my eyes all of five seconds before I was due onstage. The final act. I took a deep breath.

Showtime.

…………………………………………… (The Wind's of Change's POV) ………………………………………………...

The battle was won. The war was over, but not a single smile graced anyone's face, for the great warrior had fallen.

Minagawa Yuma had been wounded by swords, axes and been shot by three arrows, one of which remained embedded in his shoulder. And he, despite Death itself dragging his movements, managed to behead the evil general Shan Yu before finally falling.

Yuma the Brave defended his country to the end.

His body, at that moment, was being bathed with tears from his Princess. Rivers of salty sorrow streamed down her cheeks. It took many men to drag her from her beloved's corpse, the grieving girl screaming for her samurai.

When she did break free, she ran to his side and picked up his sword. The katana felt incredibly heavy in her delicate hands. She grasped the handle, turned it and plunged the blade into her body. She collapsed onto her dead lover and her soul joined his for eternity.

………………………………………………. (Kari's POV) ………………………………………………………….

I stayed collapsed over Davis until the music keyed up, signaling that the play was over. The auditorium was echoing with thunderous applause. I love being onstage.

We, me and the rest of the cast, took our bows, as did the crew from backstage. I couldn't help but wish that T.K. could hear the audience cheer. They were screaming for the crew as much as the actors. But I saw the smile on his face and could've sworn that he _did_ hear them. Maybe seeing it was enough.

After everything was put away (And I was wearing contemporary clothing) I took T.K.'s hand and we stepped down to the floor.

The second I got offstage, a six-foot-one blur, seven feet if you include the hair, launched itself at me at hugged me so hard I thought I'd pop. It was, of course, my brother Tai. After Christmas, he finished his semester and decided to spend the summer with us. At that moment, however, Tai was… crying? What the-

"Kari! That was beautiful! 'Till the sea goes dry!' Oh! Why did they have to die! Does the playwrite have no heart?" He said, sobbing. Whoa, never pictured this. Tai always seemed to be a 'Borat' and 'Rambo' kind of guy. Who'd have thunk it?

Sora, my brother's date, looked at me and said; "Tai, it's a tragedy. Of course they have to die. He's been like this since the curtain opened."

My mom clapped her hands together. "I know just what'll lighten him up! I made cabbage cobbler for dessert!" Tai abruptly stopped crying, his sorrow replaced by nausea.

Mom didn't notice though; "For supper, I wanted to make peanut butter-yam-and-chicken lasagna, but I ran out of noodles." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "So I used ham slices! It should really set off the flavour of the feta-cheese."

Before she could continue, T.K. pressed his ever handy notebook into her hands. She read it and looked very disappointed.

"Oh, I see. Kari, you should have told me that you and the other prop hands were going out for pizza." 'What?' I thought. 'T.K. and I are the only prop peopl… oh I see.' T.K. had just saved both my life and stomach. Trying not to look like the story was news to me, I nodded.

"Don't be sad mom, this just means there's more for Tai!" The said older brother looked at me, horrified. My mother smiled.

"That's right sweetie! Tai loves my lasagna!"

They turned to walk away before my dad stopped and said; "Oh! Kari, don't forget to keep tomorrow free, Tai's friend's coming in."

I had forgotten about Tai's roommate. The guy was supposed to spend the summer with us seeing as his dad was working on a TV project in Belgium. If he's friends with Tai he's got to be nice.

I pushed any thoughts of our guest out of my mind as T.K. and I wandered to the pizza place for a large pepperoni pie.

I didn't realize just how much would change.

**FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!**** FICOUT! FICOUT!FICOUT!**

Glossary:

'The Winds of Change' doesn't really exist. I made it up. Just in case anyone's bored and wants to look it up, don't. It is also the closest thing that I write that'll ever resemble a tragedy.

Sunflowers: Wow! That was FAST!

Matt: It's really sad if you're so exited about that

T.K.: Just ignore Moody Matty and review please

Sunflowers: Crème brulé to all reviewers! Get 'em while their digital sugar's still hot!


	2. What the?

Sunflowers: Hey, hey, hey! Here's chapter two!

Matt: (in a falsetto voice) "Here's chapter two!" Oh go su-

T.K.: NO PROFANITY! This is a K+ story

Matt: What do you expect me to say?

T.K.: Something like; (drops down to his knees) Oh! Queen of the yellow blossoms that dost grace fields with their height and beauty. You have written another chapter? Mine own heart is not worthy of your skilled pen. Or in this case, keyboard.

(Sunflowers faints)

Matt: Skilled pen? SERIOUSLY?!

T.K.: Yeah. And, for the record, Sunflowers doesn't own Digimon. However, buying it is on her To-Do list. Now that that's over with, READ ON!

**FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!FICTIME!**

**Chapter 2: What the?**

The next day was the ideal first day of summer. At least weather wise; the sun was out, but not too bright. A couple of fluffy white clouds floated through the bright blue sky.

I knew exactly where to find T.K..

Just as I thought, T.K. was at the flying field in the Sportsplex. The plane he was flying was sunshine yellow with black edging. It had to be new. It flew around effortlessly, spinning and diving whenever T.K. wanted it to.

Knowing better than to interrupt him while he's flying, I sat on the ground and watched. It reminded me of the first time I had flown a plane. T.K. showed me how.

---Flashback---

"_Want to try_?" he signed. I shook my head no. What if I broke it? What if it flew through a window? What if I broke it by flying it through the window? He held out the controller and looked at me from the side, as if saying 'Come on.'

Reluctantly, I took the controller and stared at it. There were so many buttons; it looked like the love child of a calculator and a TV remote! Which ones did I press? I pressed a big red one. Hey, the important buttons are always big and red! It turned out to be the brake, so obviously nothing happened.

T.K. didn't laugh (though I'm sure he wanted to); he just stepped behind me and took my hands in his. While trying, and failing, to ignore the sparks under my skin, I let him guide my hands onto the right button for take off, which just happened to be green. I'm such a moron.

The plane took off and, let me tell you, it's a whole lot harder to fly a plane than it looks! At one point, a wing started to tip inwards.

"It wants to spin." I said, turning my head so that T.K. could read my lips.

He smiled and said with his rarely used voice: "You're in control of the plane, Kari. It goes where you want it to. Trust me, if you can ditch Davis and backhand Catharine, you can fly this plane."

So we stood there, controlling the plane together, I decided that this would not be the only time I flew a plane.

---End Flashback---

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I almost didn't notice T.K. tapping my shoulder.

"_Awake yet?_" he signed, laughter evident in his eyes.

I smiled at him. "_No, I usually sleepwalk to the sports centre_." I signed back, spelling out 'sleepwalk' and 'centre'. I've learned lots, but there's still plenty of sign language I need to learn.

"_Seriously though, didn't your Dad tell you to stay home today?_"

"_Tai's friend doesn't arrive till later. And my mom wanted me to invite you._" T.K. looked surprised at this, and then he smiled.

"_I'd love to; on the condition you come to my house for lunch._" He signed. I said yes immediately. His mother, contrary to mine, is an excellent cook. Just try her chocolate-chip cookies.

We linked arms and started off for his house.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

T.K.'s house is a nice, single story home. It's just him and his mom, so they don't need a lot of space. The kitchen, however, is HUGE. It takes up about a quarter of the house and is always filled with yummy foods and smells. T.K.'s mother, Nancy, is a food critic for the local newspaper and has to submit many recipes weekly. She's always either in her kitchen or on her laptop, working. That woman doesn't believe in idle time.

At that moment, Nancy was making a platter of meatball sandwiches. T.K. immediately walked over to her and started helping.

When they're side-by-side, their resemblance is almost shocking. The blond hair, blue eyes and big smiles are identical.

So I sat at the table with my delicious looking meatball sandwich, which actually didn't have fish it like my mom makes. It tasted great too. I ate and watched T.K. and his mother having a sign language conversation, their hands moving a lot faster than whenever they'd talk to me.

I assume that T.K. had just asked Nancy about coming to my house and her replying that yes he could, because no sooner had I finished my last piece of crust that we left for my house.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

When we got to the house, Tai was gone to the airport with Dad and my mother was cleaning. She also had a plate of sandwiches made. Mashed chick-pea on rye. I wished, not for the last time, that someone would get up the courage to tell my mother that she's not as good of a cook as she thinks she is.

She looked up and noticed us. "Oh! Good, you're here. Help me dust this, alright?"

And so we cleaned and dusted and rearranged furniture until Tai and Dad came back with a guy who had to be our guest.

He looked to be around nineteen years old and was pretty good looking; longish, gelled blond hair and cat-like blue eyes. He may have been a little taller than Tai, but my brother's hair made it hard to tell. Everything about this new guy, from his looks and posture to his leather jacket screamed 'Rockstar!'

"Hey everybody! This is Matt!" Tai yelled before pulling his friend straight across the room to meet Mom. I turned to say, or sign, something to T.K., but what I wanted to tell him promptly left my mind.

T.K. wasn't even looking at me. He was looking at Matt with a weird expression on his face. Like he just remembered something that was better off forgotten. Before I could ask him what was wrong, Tai waltzed right up with Matt in tow.

"Hey there lovebirds! Matt, this is my baby sister, Kari. And this guy's her boyfriend, T.K. Takaishi. Kari, T.K., this is my best friend, Matt Ishida." Tai said, making sure to talk slowly so that T.K. could read his lips properly.

"Pleased to meet you." I said, deciding to ignore the baby comment. But Matt ignored me completely. He was too busy staring at T.K., who stared right back at him. Their faces held identical expressions of surprise and something else. Something like contempt.

I couldn't help asking. "Do you two know each other?" When T.K. turned his head, I repeated the question with my hands.

Matt's "No." coincided with T.K.'s nod. I'm not sure where everybody else was looking, but my gaze stayed on T.K.. His face blanc, he signed:

"_He's my brother._"

"YOUR BROTHER?!" I didn't mean to scream, but that was pretty shocking.

And that was when T.K. ran out the front door.

**FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT!**

Sunflowers: That has got to be a personal record.

Matt: You never told me I was in this one! Oh, (pauses for a minute) princess of daisies?

T.K.: Come on Matt, you're about the only person who did not see that one coming. And it's 'Queen of the yellow flowers.' If you're gonna steal my lines, say 'em properly.

Sunflowers: ANYways, my dear readers, REVIEW PLEASE! And I might make updating this fast a habit!

Matt and T.K.: I doubt it.


	3. An explanation

Sunflowers: Hey, hey, hey!

Matt: And the title of 'Procrastinator of the Year' goes to…

Sunflowers: Can it! Procrastination is the reason I actually got this chapter out before summer.

T.K.: Because, although your exams are in two weeks-

Sunflowers: Stupid French school board.

T.K.: (ignoring the interruption) your hatred of Chemistry 11 was strong enough to break through your writers block and finish the chapter you had promised everyone nearly six months ago.

Sunflowers: And I am really very sorry about that.

Matt: At least Digimon doesn't belong to you. Then there probably would have been only one episode per year.

Sunflowers: And I probably would have written you out of the show. (continues before Matt can open his trap) READ ON!

**FICTIME!FICTIME! FICTIME!FICTIME! FICTIME!FICTIME! FICTIME!FICTIME! FICTIME!FICTIME!**

**Chapter 3: An Explanation** (Sunflowers: somehow, I prefer the chapter titles of A Whole New World)

T.K. bolted so quickly, the door was already swinging shut before anyone else moved. Let me tell you, that boy can run fast.

" T.K.!" I yelled after him. Uselessly, of course. I'm not really sure why I did that, maybe it was just reflex; it's not like he would hear me and come back. I started after him, but my dad clamped his hand down on my shoulder. I wasn't going anywhere.

The room was silent, just as shocked as I was. Tai turned to his best friend. "You said it was just you and your dad. You never told me you have a little brother." He said quietly. If my mind wasn't so preoccupied, I'd have felt sorry for Tai. This was obviously not what he expected. He'd wanted his friend and our family to like each other or at least be civil. Not like this.

Matt looked away, just shrugging his shoulders. "I had forgotten all about him." He said, the 'him' emphasized.

Let me tell you, my cool flew to Aruba at that. "You forgot about him? He's your brother! He was nice and happy and you suddenly pop up, get right in his face and pretend you don't know him? And, by the way, you were doing a pretty piss poor job of it. " My father's grip tightened on my shoulder, a silent way of telling me to watch my mouth. I ignored the warning and glared at Matt. Just who did he think he was?

The blond scowled at me. "I wish I didn't know him. Everything was fine before he came along. Just me, my mom and my dad. We were together! We were happy! Even the little while after he was born was perfect. But then my parents find out he's deaf. Deaf! Dad wanted to just put him up for adoption and get over it, but Mom insisted on keeping him. 'He's still my baby' she said. HE was her baby, I didn't matter anymore. And then the fighting started. They began yelling and screaming at each other, they never stopped. And I listened to them every night. Every night for six years! HE was lucky, HE couldn't hear them. Finally, Mom can't deal with it, saying that Dad didn't love her or the baby enough to accept him, handicapped or not, so she took him and left us. She left me! He broke my family! He's the reason my dad drinks. He's the reason I haven't seen my mother in nearly ten years. It's his fault and I'll never forgive that- that CRIPPLE!" He was screaming at me, his fists clenched hard enough to whiten his knuckles.

I was stunned. T.K. had never told me about his family. Sure, I was curious before as to why it was just him and his mom, but I never imagined this. And to see your brother after almost a decade. T.K. must have felt- T.K.!

I yanked myself out of my father's loosened grip and ran out the door. I had to find T.K.. The flying field was my first bet. I ran the whole way to the Sportsplex, the wind was whipping at my face, as if it was trying to slow me down. Cars brakes squealed and horns honked when I raced across the streets, far beyond caring about proper pedestrian traffic laws.

I finally got there, my breathing ragged and my side in pain. I looked around the green turf of the flying field before spotting T.K. sitting on the ground, his chin resting on his knees. As I slowly walked up to him, catching my breath, I remembered what he said about this place. That he could "_always fell detached from everything. The rest of the world disappears._" If I had just seen what he did, I'd want the world to disappear too.

I sat down beside him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. He must have been expecting me, because he didn't tense up or anything. He hugged me back. We just sat there for awhile, hugging in the middle of a field of artificial turf.

When he pulled away, his hands made a sign. His right hand open, fingers spread wide, and his left index stood alone. "_Six._" I must have looked as confused as I felt, because he elaborated. "_We left when I was six years old_."

"_T.K.,_" I signed back. "_You don't have to tell me._" I didn't tell him that his brother already had.

He shook his head. "_Yes I do. I have to tell s-o-m-e-o-n-e, and I'd rather it be you._" I was so touched by his trust; I nodded and let him continue. He signed slowly, spelling out words that I wouldn't know. "_It's weird. I can barely remember my father. I was too young and hardly ever saw him. When I did, he was fighting with my mom. I didn't understand what they were saying, I hadn't been going to school long enough, but I knew it was about me. Sometimes it would get so loud that I could feel the floor shake, or even hear yell if my hearing aids were in. That's how bad it was. But I remember M-a-t-t perfectly. I remember always wanting his a-p-p-r-o-v-a-l, his acceptance. I wanted him to love me. The first picture I ever drew was for him. I saw him reading a book about wolves, so I tried to draw one for him. It ended up looking more like S-n-o-o-p-y, from 'P-e-a-n-u-t-s', but I was so proud of it. I took it to him, but he just pushed me away. He didn't want me. It didn't matter what I did or what I tried, nothing changed. He wouldn't even look at me. He hated me._" His hands were starting to shake, making it hard to make out his words. I took them into mine to steady them. It was so hard for him, to tell me about a past he wanted to forget, a brother who never wanted him. He managed to calm himself and smile weakly before continuing.

"_One day, my mom came to me and signed that we were going on a trip. I was so __exited; I didn't notice she was crying. She just took my hand and led me out to the car. We were half way to grandma's when I realize we weren't coming back. We were never coming back." _He didn't continue. He didn't have to. I scooted even closer and wrapped my arms around him and held on, my mind whirling.

There was a lot of information to digest. I had always taken T.K.'s smiles for granted, thinking he was happy and well adjusted. I never even considered that he could have felt so much pain. I knew that he suffered prejudice because of his handicap, Davis was proof of that. But there's a difference between a random jerk and a member of your own family, someone you loved and respected, rejecting, blaming and hating you for something you had no control over. I couldn't even imagine how I would feel if Tai did that to me. All I could do for T.K. was hold on.

"Hey there Kari girl!" Oh. Great.

Davis came bouncing across the air field in full soccer gear, something swinging on his finger. As he (regrettably) got closer, I saw that it was a keychain, with a key on it. I felt T.K. tense up unconsciously. Way to ruin the moment, Davis.

I sighed. "What do you want Davis?"

"I came to practice some of my new moves before the next game when I saw you here! Great luck, huh?" Yeah, lucky me. It was like vomiting on a pile of doggy doo. He was grinning at me, completely ignoring T.K., as usual.

"I wanted to talk to yah earlier, but your mom said you were out. So, anyway, my folks got me a car for my birthday!" He said brightly, still swinging the keychain. He probably thought it made him look cool. He was wrong. "An SUV. It's no Porsche, but it'll do till Christmas. So yah wanna come for a spin?" He was seriously going to poke his eye out if he keeps swinging that stupid key.

"I'm sorry Davis, but I can't." I said, knowing full well that I didn't sound sorry at all. More like extremely irritated. He just kept on looking at me.

"Why not? You don't look busy." Okay, now I know that Davis wasn't just being stupid. That was a deliberate dig at T.K.. As if he didn't have enough to think about without Davis's bigotry.

I was just preparing a verbal onslaught that would probably make his ears bleed when T.K. took care of the problem. He stood up so that he was at (a few inches above) eye-level with Davis and smiled a great big Brady Bunch smile at him.

"_So you've got an SUV?_" he signed to him. Davis looked just as confused as I did. Davis couldn't tell sign language from the Heimlich maneuver. T.K. was still smiling, the picture of innocent friendliness.

"_What year is it?_" He signed, still directed at Davis. Davis looked to me.

"What the heck's he doing? What's he talking about? He's making fun of me, isn't he?" He asked, looking kind of perturbed. T.K. started signing again before I could open my mouth, this time at me.

"_I was just asking about his car. That's why he came here, isn't it? Is he i-n-c-a-p-a-b-l-e of polite c-o-n-v-e-r-s-a-t-i-o-n?_" T.K. asked, his head inquiringly cocked to the side. Davis's gaze spun between the two of us.

"I don't get it! Get him to speak like a normal person!" Davis demanded. I finally got what T.K. was doing. I grinned and started signing to him.

"_I have no idea, let's ask him, shall we?_" Davis took a step back.

"Not you too! That's it! I'm out of here!" T.K. and I were smiling at each other throughout the whole episode, enjoying Davis's discomfort, but we burst out laughing when he scrambled across the field. I know it was a little mean, but Davis was being a jerk and shouldn't stay were he's not wanted.

Once my laughter had subsided, I looked to T.K. and signed to him. "_Are you feeling better?_"

His raspy laugh cut off abruptly. He bit his lip for a minute, his hands still. I was beginning to regret asking when he started signing.

"_I am still shocked. It is not something you see everyday._" I nodded as he continued. "_Still, watching Davis trip while running away perked me up._" He finished with a smile.

I smiled back. Out of the blue, I remembered an old Chinese curse. _May you live in interesting times_. The first time I had heard it, I didn't get it at all. How would that be a curse? But now, as I looked at T.K. and thought of his estranged elder brother, who was going to be living in my house for the next two months, I realized that during this summer, we would indeed be living in interesting times.

**FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT!FICOUT! FICOUT! FICOUT!FICOUT!**

Sunflowers: This was really only an explanation of my version of the Takaishi/Ishida clans past. Sorry for making it sound so soap-opera-ish.

Matt: Y-you

Sunflowers: I?

Matt: You made me a- I'm a- a

Sunflowers: YOU'RE A DAVIS! (Matt runs away, screaming at the horror)

T.K.: That was very cruel.

Sunflowers: I know that he's a great older brother; he's just not a very nice muse. AND this is interesting!

T.K.: May we live in interesting times.

Sunflowers: Reviews please! Just click the button and you'll have brought a little more sunshine into my day! And if that's not satisfying, I made pie!


End file.
